


All's Not Fair

by GeckoPrince



Category: Naruto
Genre: Awkward Romance, Awkwardness, First Kiss, How Do I Tag, Light Angst, M/M, Maybe Gay, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Young Love, yikes I hope that's what I think that tag means
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-12-25 16:09:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18264794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeckoPrince/pseuds/GeckoPrince
Summary: Rivals, or lovers, or best friends, it had to start somewhere. Although the rivalry began long ago, the feelings took a little time.





	All's Not Fair

**Author's Note:**

> OOPS I started this as a writing exercise cause I was rewatching Naruto and was like, "Hey, this could be embellished!"  
> My writing is blocky at times but a friend thought I shouldn't post it and 12 strangers thought I should so here we are! I can't write romance! Or angst! Or fight scenes! So I'm remodeling interactions with past lover (singular) and my limited experience in sumo and wresting for bring you, uh, this?  
> Yes. I wrote a ninja fight based off sumo.
> 
> Also this first chapter is circa episode 349. K and G are somewhere around 11-13 years.

A long time ago, without any provocation, Maito Gai had declared Kakashi Hatake to be his eternal rival. Throughout life, Gai had pursued him more doglike than Pakun, and Kakashi had resigned himself to the fate that Gai would continue to challenge him to fights and competitions even beyond the grave. If either of them had a grave. 

Kakashi wondered what is was that made Gai follow him. Maybe Gai wanted to follow someone powerful, after his father? Maybe he thought that they were kindred souls, both powerful shinobi with dead fathers who had both been strong, but failures. The White Fang of the leaf had been revered, but died sad on the wood panels of his home after a failed mission. Might Duy had been a physically weak man his entire life, laughed at and scorned until he went out powerfully and heroically against the Swordsmen of the Blood Mist. 

Even more likely, though, and a thought that almost comforted Kakashi was that Gai knew that they were opposites. Decked in red and green, the Blue Beast was a bright bird that spread light wherever it flew. The Copycat Ninja was a lone wolf, resting in shadows and only bearing death. As Kakashi never failed to notice, wherever darkness dwells the light is always drawn to, to shine rays of sun on the broken. Just as he watched Naruto follow Sasuke to the ends of the world, Kakashi never got a moment’s respite in the darkness when Gai was there to pull him into the light. Forever and always, they’d be the best of rivals.

 

“Heeey Kakashi! Come join us! Have some dumplings?” Gai called out to Kakashi as he passed by. The village was celebrating the end of what was beginning to be called the “Third Great Ninja War.” Inside the shop, Gai, Genma, Asuma, Kotetsu and Kurenai were celebrating with sweet dumplings.  
Kakashi walked past the shop without even glancing at Gai. He hated being ignored but could almost understand it. Barely a year since the deaths of Rin and Obito, although did he really have to shut himself off so much?  
“Seriously?” Gai asked as Kakashi trudged away. The rest of the genin looked at the ground, sharply aware of the one sided interaction.  
“What’s up with him?”  
“Dunno.”  
“Well, it hasn’t been too long since… you know.”  
Kurenai nodded sadly. “That sure would leave a hole in your heart.”  
Asuma sighed. “Well, too bad we can’t do more. Although.. There must be a hole in his sleep schedule too. Did you see those bags under his eyes?”  
“Asuma, be nice.”  
“They were our classmates too.”  
Gai pulled himself away from his friends’ conversation to see Kakashi’s slumped figure receding into the dusty streets. Genma elbowed him.  
“Hey. You should see what’s up.”  
“Me?”  
“Yeah, you. You guys are close. Besides, do you really want to stay and watch Asuma and Kurenai’s new episode of Make-Out Paradise Junior?” Indeed, upon a glance the two were already poking and laughing with each other, taunting and messing around with dumplings in the most painfully awkward way for all surrounding ninja. A burly shinobi was looking around nervously for the waiter, ready to pay for his dumplings and get the hell out. Gai didn’t blame him.  
A little surprised to be labelled Kakashi’s ‘friend,’ but also grateful for the excuse to escape, Gai nodded to Genma and left the dumpling shop. He spotted Kakashi turning a distant corner that led to his house (Gai knew, he’d followed Kakashi home many a time, challenging him to duels every step of the way). Gai was familiar with a faster route to the house, so he ran.

Arriving at the house, Gai could tell no one was home yet, so he nestled himself a block or so away in someone’s comfortably convenient oak tree, and settled down to wait. He must have fallen asleep, because next thing he knew a crow was cawing in his ear and the sun much lower in the horizon than what felt like only a few minutes ago. Still feeling unjustly endowed with ‘Kakashi’s friend,” Gai decided he’d wait to talk to Kakashi. Maybe he’d check in on the news at the hokage’s building even.

 

“What is this?” Gai snuck up behind Kakashi and yanked Kakashi’s book from his hand. “How a Shinobi Should Die?!”  
“Give it back!” Kakashi viciously tore it back from him. Then, as if pretending that hadn’t even happened (the nerve!), he looked back at the book and asked as disinterestedly as ever, “what’s going on?”  
Gai’s mind blanked for a moment. What was he going to say? That he knew Kakashi was feeling bad and wanted to help? That Rin and Obito had been his classmates too?  
“Oh! That’s right!” Gai remembered where he’d just been. “The identity of the Fourth Hokage has been revealed! Now don’t act surprised… But it’s gonna be Minato-Sensei!” Kakashi’s eyes widened. He’d been caught off-balance. But then, without another word, Kakashi stood up and walked away. In the direction of the Leaf Shinobi Memorial. Nervousness struck again, and Gai was stuck watching Kakashi leave.  
Even so, despite knowing the rudeness, Gai followed behind. He stopped at the edge of the area as the white-haired shinobi walked towards someone’s marker. He didn’t have to see to know it was Rin Nohara. Kakashi carefully replaced some wilted lilies with fresh ones, kneeling and emptying the old water. Did he do this often? Then, Kakashi spoke. He murmured, but Gai could hear some of it carry.  
“Rin… looks like Minato-Sensei will be the successor to the Professor. He’ll change… and the whole shinobi world. No more sacrifices.. Like.. y- yours…” Kakashi’s shoulder’s trembled slightly with his voice. Gai turned away from the scene, feeling guilty. When he looked back, the white-haired shinobi was exiting the graveyard, coming Gai’s way. It was now or never. Gai stepped forward.  
“Uh. Kakashi. Are, um, are you okay?”  
Kakashi turned his face away. “Leave me alone.” He kept walking.  
“Wait! Kakashi. You don’t look so good, Kakashi. Wanna talk?”  
The nina slowed down enough to give Gai a frown as he passed. “Go away, Gai. I’m not in the mood.” But Gai could hear the pain in the other’s voice, so he marshalled his courage one more time and gave his last shot the only way he knew.  
Leaping in front of Kakashi, Gai shouted, “Rival! I’m not gonna ignore this! Fight me!”  
Kakashi stopped, and raised a bloodshot gaze to Gai. “I’m not. Going to go easy on you.” Gai grinned.  
“I won’t either, Kakashi. Let’s go!” Gai dove at Kakashi. Head starts were best, and he wasn’t about to let his rival reconsider. He aimed a kick at Kakashi’s midriff, but Kakashi was already leaping upward, so it only grazed his foot. The white-haired shinobi took advantage of the Blue Beast’s forward momentum and pushed down on his neck, forcing him down to the ground. But the Beast was too clever, and he rolled forwards, snagging Kakashi’s ribs so it was the latter who was flattened on the ground. Kakashi jumped up and lept to the side while Gai regained his balance, so the two were once again at neutral.  
“What, out of breath so soon?” Gai taunted Kakashi. His rival merely pounced. They traded blows back and forth, moving along the stone path, neither gaining any ground. Gai knew he needed to interrupt the flow of kicks and punches, so he pulled within him something he’d been practicing. “First Gate! Gate of Opening! Open!” A green aura began spreading from his head.  
Kakashi leapt back. “A jutsu? Then I won’t hesitate!” He moved pulled his Leaf headband back so Obito’s sharingan could assess the technique, but before he could move a muscle Gai was upon him, forcing him back with a glowing palm.  
Kakashi skidded back into a tree, sending a crow flying but thankfully not damaging the path. Saving worry about the damage for later, Gai leapt forward again, but the sharingan was out and Kakashi dodged. This time, the punch went through the tree. Gai paused, shocked at the massive hole in said tree. It was enough for Kakashi.  
In a blur of white and blue, the ninja’s elbow collided with Gai’s ribs, knocking him to the ground and wind from his lungs. The green aura dissipated. Gai’s head smacked the stone path and prepared to surrender the match, but then he heard something he hadn’t heard since the war.  
The sound of a thousand birds, screaming as Kakashi wound up his chidori. The blue-white electricity radiated off his hand, preparing to go straight through Kakashi’s heart, and Kakashi’s eyes were unseeing.  
Gai couldn’t have spoken if he tried. Kneeling over him, the Lightning Shinobi of the Leaf prepared to kill him, his eyes far away…  
Kakashi froze, his eyes returning to his body. They widened and the Chidori sputtered out.  
The ninja fell back on his knees, breathing heavily. Looking in horror at his hand, Kakashi began shaking.  
Shaking as well, Gai propped himself up on his elbow.  
“Kakashi…?”  
No response from the shaking boy.  
Tentatively, Gai reached out his hand and when Kakashi didn’t flinch, he put it on his shoulder.  
The white-haired shinobi hung his head in his hands, probably an inch away from tears.  
Gai quelled his shaking, and wrapped his arms around his friend, sliding them under his shaking arms to cradle the small torso against his own.  
His friend slumped into them, and then the shaking turned into sobs, interspersed with choked “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I’m- s-sorry…” Gai pulled him closer.  
“It’s okay. I, uh, we forgive you.” Reaching his arm around Kakashi’s slim chest, Gai pulled an extra bright green jumper out of his pocket and offered it to Kakashi’s back, which ignored it. Gai opted to put it down and replace his arms around the ninja, who was still crying quietly.  
The two young shinobi sat together for some time, the Blue Beast gently holding on to the Copycat ninja, who moved to clutch the other’s shoulders as if for dear life. Finally, the tears subsided, leaving only wet sniffles behind.  
“Kakashi?”  
“...yeah?”  
“Are you okay?”  
“Does it look like that?”  
“No. Need a tissue?”  
“Sure.” Kakashi accepted the proffered jumpsuit, through narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the bright green first. He wiped his tear-streaked face, then handed the jumper back. Not knowing what to do with it, Gai shoved it back into his pocket.  
“So. Uh.” Kakashi’s eyes widened, and he awkwardly disentangled himself from Gai and scooched away. “Sorry.”  
“It’s fine! Um, may I ask what just happened…?”  
Kakashi ducked his head. “It. I, uh, instinct. I’m so sorry.”  
“No, not that. After?” He shouldn’t be pressing.  
“The crying. Oh.” Kakashi slowly stands up, and Gai scrambles up after him. “It was nothing. Sorry. I should go.” He turns to leave, back to his house probably.  
“Uh! I’ll walk with you!”  
“Oh- fine.” Kakashi turned to leave, and so Gai followed once again.


End file.
